afghanistanShah Tahmasp and the Qajar tribe, Nadir Quli took Mashhad and three
years later defeated the ‘Abdalis near Herat. He then attacked Ashraf Khan
Hotak in Isfahan and forced him to flee to Kandahar, where he was hunted
down and killed by Mir Husain Shah in revenge for the murder of his
father. In December 1729 Nadir Quli entered Isfahan, placed Shah Tahmasp
on the throne and was formally appointed governor of Khurasan. Shah
Tahmasp even gave Nadir Quli one of his sisters in marriage.
The Saddozai Sultanate of HeratAfter Mir Wa’is tricked him out of a share of the spoils of Kandahar, ‘Abd
Allah Khan Saddozai set his sights on establishing a kingdom in Herat,
but his attempt to raise a revolt among the ‘Abdalis of the Hari Rud was
discovered and he was thrown into prison by the Persian governor of Herat,
together with his son, ’Asad Allah Khan. Shortly afterwards, however, the
Qizilbash garrison mutinied, allowing the two men to escape and flee to
Obeh. ’Asad Allah Khan then overran the Hari Rud valley and occupied
Maruchak on the Murghab. In the summer of 1717 he finally took Herat
and struck coins in the name of Sultan Hayat Khan, since he was the most
senior member of the Khudakka clan still alive. However, as Hayat Khan
was by this time a very old man, he nominated ‘Abd Allah Khan to be head
of the Saddozai Sultanate of Herat.43
table 6: The Saddozai Dynasty of Herat, 1717–32Sultan Saddozai lineage Reign(s)
‘Abd Allah Khan Khudakka Khel 1717–21
Muhammad Zaman Khan Sarmast Khel 1721
Shah Qasim Khan Zafran Khel 1721–2
Muqarrab Khan Khudakka Khel 1722
Shah Muhammad Khan Khudakka Khel 1722–4
Zu’l-fiqar Khan (Farah)
Allah Yar Khan (Maruchak)
Tribal elders (Herat)Sarmast Khel
Khudakka Khel
various1725–30
1725–6
1725–6Allah Yar Khan, 1st reign Khudakka Khel 1726–30
Allah Yar Khan (Maruchak)
Zu’l-fiqar Khan (Herat & Farah)Khudakka Khel
Sarmast Khel1730–31
1730–31
Allah Yar Khan, 2nd reign Khudakka Khel 1731–2